Republic of Poland Rzeczpospolita Polska (Polish) | |
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Anthem: "Mazurek Dąbrowskiego"[a] ("Poland Is Not Yet Lost") | |
Location of Poland (dark green) – on the European continent (green & dark grey) | |
Capital and largest city | Warsaw 52°13′N 21°02′E / 52.217°N 21.033°E |
Official language | Polish[1] |
Ethnic groups (2021)[2] |
|
Religion (2021[3]) |
|
Demonym(s) |
|
Government | Unitary parliamentary republic |
Andrzej Duda | |
Donald Tusk | |
Legislature | Parliament |
Senate | |
Sejm | |
Formation | |
c. 960 | |
966 | |
18 April 1025 | |
1 July 1569 | |
24 October 1795 | |
11 November 1918 | |
17 September 1939 | |
22 July 1944 | |
31 December 1989[5] | |
Area | |
• Total | 312,696 km2 (120,733 sq mi)[6][7] (69th) |
• Water (%) | 1.48 (2015)[8] |
Population | |
• 2024 census | ![]() |
• Density | 122/km2 (316.0/sq mi) (75th) |
GDP (PPP) | 2024 estimate |
• Total | ![]() |
• Per capita | ![]() |
GDP (nominal) | 2024 estimate |
• Total | ![]() |
• Per capita | ![]() |
Gini (2022) | ![]() low |
HDI (2022) | ![]() very high · 36th |
Currency | Złoty (PLN) |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Date format | dd.mm.yyyy (CE) |
Driving side | right |
Calling code | +48 |
ISO 3166 code | PL |
Internet TLD | .pl [a] |
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Poland is a country in the eastern region of Central Europe.[14] Its official name is Republic of Poland. It is on the east of Germany (along Oder and Lusatian Neisse). The Czech Republic and Slovakia are to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and the Baltic Sea, Lithuania, and the Russian exclave Kaliningrad to the north. The total land area of Poland is about 312,679 km2[15] (120,728 mi2), slightly larger than Oman. This makes Poland the 77th largest country[15] in the world with over 38.5 million people. Most Polish people live in large cities, including the capital, Warsaw (Polish: Warszawa), Łódź, Cracow (Polish: Kraków), the second capital of Poland (first was Gniezno), Szczecin, Gdańsk, Wrocław and Poznań.
The word "Poland" was written officially for the first time in 966. In 1569, Poland formed a strong union with Lithuania called the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. At some point in its history, it was the largest state in Europe and became very influential. Eventually, after a slow decline, the Commonwealth collapsed in 1795. Poland regained its independence in 1918 after World War I. In 1921, Poland defeated Soviet Russia in the Polish-Soviet War that started in 1919.
However, Poland lost independence again not long after the beginning of World War II, after suffering a defeat by both the USSR and Nazi Germany. Although the government collapsed, the Polish people fought on by forming the largest and most effective resistance movement in Nazi-occupied Europe. It is most notable for disrupting German supply lines to the Eastern Front of WWII, providing military intelligence to the British, and for saving more Jewish lives in the Holocaust than any other Allied organization or government. After the war, Poland regained "independence" and became a communist country within the Eastern Bloc. The new government was appointed by Joseph Stalin and was under the control of the Soviet Union.
In 1989, Poland ceased being a communist country and became a liberal democracy. Its change of government was the first in a series of events that led to the states of Eastern and Central Europe regaining their independence and the fall of the USSR in 1991. After the democratic consolidation, Poland joined the European Union on 1 May 2004. Poland is also a member of NATO, the United Nations, and the World Trade Organization.
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